Use of cellular material in packaging articles



July 21, 1959 s. E. FREEMAN 2,895,603

usE oF CELLULAR MATERIAL IN PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed Jan,v 15, 1957 u rf E, ME

'f Stephen E.1"Freeman,

fonly have strength suiicient/for-temporary=\use. supportshouldnot tbe' rm orstiffsoI-as torreduceor-fob- United States Patenti Mlwaukeejwis.; assignor'fo Freeman .Chemical Corporation; a corporationfowlscolnsm 4This invention relates-to nithds of packaging articles with: polyurethane foam of selecteditensile 's'trengthjand density values, and the. packagesl-producedby' said methods.

vMyinvention Acontemplates forming a package by` a .method fthat,'vbriey, compriseszv.. pos'itiorlingthel article to be lpackaged in a container, introducing a fdesired ,amount of polymeric-isocyanate mix -into'the container `so that .the hydroxyl' groups, carboxyl groups or other reactive groups ofthe polymeric material, and water which `may be present in thejmix, will react with the'isocyanate component to form insolufble, exiblepolyurethane foam which surrounds the gas` bubbles generatendin the reaction; permitting .the polyurethane fomto be formeda in such .a manner that the:l article' `is V'surroun'ded thereby; .and closing the container s'as to -forma package.

The article to be packaged. may be, placvedinV a. pro- I`tective,.,iiexible bag ..,(e.g vpolyethylene,l etc'.) which is impervioustomthe polymericeisocyanate mix. o

.Ay support, whichV may be.starshaped,circular, fcro'ssshaped, etc., for 'thearticle to be packaged may beplaced `in a containerV made of paper, wood,Y laminated plastic, f steel, and the like. T hev support serves to hold the article .oithe bottom .of the container .during the formation Lof l the polyurethane foam and may'beformed `of paper `having serrated or-scalloped edges so asjtopermit'the polyurethane foam to llne-formed between vthe bottom of the article and container. ..If desired,`the support may consist of: a piece .of preformed polyurethane' foam; a V-piece Iof preformed, reinforced polyurethane foam formed by'foaming a polymeric-isocyanate. mixaround a mat of curled ibers; or a mat of curled bers. When foaming is complete, the article" is iessentially supported by polyurethane.. foam, consequently,-thesupportL y'xnembergneed The viate thetransmission of mechanical shock from the con- .taineffpr'oper to the article. 'In the' e'vent'vlthe" article-to Abe packaged is light,I there may not be'- a "needy for a: supporti since` the" foaming action of 'the pol'ymerieisocyanate Amix A.may serve to raise-the article-oi--thebottom'ofthe container.

After the articlel to' be packagedn isYpo'sit-ione'd-in the container, an int-'erlacem'ent of v curled* hair, -'curle d nylon i'iibersy curled yDaeron, and the l like 'maybeplac'ed inv the container' so that the pl'ymericl-isocyanate'mix Will'foam up through and around the interlacnif'e'nfofi'fibrs.v' Polyurethane foam formed in VVthis manner will lock the fibers within its structureand will possessgreatlydmproved compression resistance and substantially -improvedresistance to compression .set. lThe.fiber-reinforcedpolyure- 'thane foam, Yas. compared 'to`the"no`nreinforced famfis capable "of carrying eoxn'parative'ly. greater1 loads for a given thickness of *polyurethane* foam, fand isf' fable Vto resist the continual compressionrload ofwheavy'objects over a long :period'of time without'lestablishifnga lcomy 2,895,603 Patented July 21, 1959 (rice pression l'st whih islp'ermanent and,'hence a loss in cushioiiing.poperties.

The'polymeric-isocyana'te -mix may .be 'hand-mixed or mixed Iin'an'assembly such as shown in Freeman and .'Ire'li'tza application. serial TNO. 4585;509, "tiled May 1'7, wv1'95'6,ja11"d"the`n added tothe container. A predeterniined quantity of polymeric-'isocyanate mix should4 be added to the package because it -will increase in volume-20%() fold 'before the completed polyurethane foam is formed.

VFoarfi'ing'maybe effected in about one minute.

Dehydrated silica. gel .may be effe'ctively'incorporated into l.the 'polyrrieric-iso'cyanate-rnix so that the .result-ing polyurethane .foam will have activated silica dispersed -therein which exhibits a dehydrating influence on air.

Activated silica maybe formed bydehydratingsfil-ica zgel at about A350f4001i1 The activated s'ilicarmayfthen be incorportedinto the polymeric-isocyanate mix .in such -a` manner that the mix rapidly forms polyurethane foam.

The Water lpresentin the mix apparently reacts with 'the isocyanate component .in such a manner that it does-not substantially reduce :theactivity of the -dehydrated silica The container may be closed or sealed either immediately-after.,pouring the polymeric-isocyanate mix into the container or after theformationof theffoam. `In any event, thefoaming rate is sufficiently rapid lthatthe container .andfits contents may lbe handled ina few-minutes.

'lnjts completedform'the package will rbe surrounded Abyplyllre'thane foam yinfsuchv a'manner that thefoam vwill ser-ve' .to.dissipate, instead of. transmit, shockincurred in placefin alshort'period .of time :with simple equipment;

lpolyurethane Vfoam' is capable of withstanding deterioration by solvents, oil, and greases, especially as compared 'tostyrene foam; polyurethane vis resistant to vermin,

fungifand insects, especially-as compared to paper, cloth, wood, -felt, and the like; it adheres .to `non-waxy and non-greasy surfaces vwhen foamed in place, thus contributi-ng to vthe-structural .strength of .the package; it. may lbe formd'with .low density properties, especially .as compared to vvinyl, {rubber,-or -phenolic ifoams; ypolyurethane foam is moderately priced; it is ameretardant, especially -Tascompared- Withxpolystyrene; "itis `not subject `to deterioration at temperatures `encountered V.in storage v and, in .this-respect, .ismuchsuperior .to styrene .foam and` vinyl foam; itahas 4good thermal insulating properties; it `has goodlshock absorption properties, especially as compared to= vinyL vrubber land styrene foams; .and .polyurethane foamhas.readilyadjustable tensilestrength, tear vresistance, and Idensity characteristics.

`=In the-accompanying drawings, in'which a1few.- ofthe various embodiments of the invention arefillustrated:

Figure 1 is a -front sectional view ofthepackage betore .the'polymeric-isocyanate .mixhas reacted to:form polyurethane foam;

Fi"gurefv2 is a `sectional View, .similar to Fig. 1,.,a'fter thefmix hasfreacted toform polyurethanefoam; and '1i-Figure 3fis a frontsectional view 'of azsecondzpackage 12 positioned on a corrugated, Atemporary supportl 114, The Afreeaen'd 13 of the bag 12 is sufficiently long so as to enable one to grab it after opening the top 17 of the container 16. The bag and article may be 'pulled from the polyurethane foam 18 by pulling on the free end 13 of the bag 12.

If desired, the free end of the bag maybe embedded in the polyurethane foam, as shown inFigure 3. For example, when the foam has low density, low tensile strength values, the packaged article may readily'bevremoved from the foam envelope 'without having -theen'd of the protective bag as an access point. It is also feasible to use a strip of parchment paper, or other ma'- terial having poor adhesion to the foam, as a dividing mechanism for creating a slit in the foam lleading to' tensile strength values, enable one to rupture l,the conr tainer and polyurethane in a single operation.

In the embodiments shown in the'drawings, polyurethane foam surrounds the article that is packaged,- and the support is constructed so that polyurethane Yfoam is formed between the article and the container. It

should be noted that even atthe bottom of the container, polyurethane foam separates the bottom of the article `from the bottom of the container; for example, the troughs and crests of the corrugations of the Vsupport member are either filled with or supported by polyurethane foam so that there is no rigid, force-transmitting structure directly between, or in vertical alignment with, the container and article. When the'interior surfaces of the container are free of oily or greasy materials, the polyurethane foam will adhere tothe container so as to be integral therewith; this enables the container to more readily dissipate forces exerted upon the exterior surfaces of the package. 'i

The polyurethane foam used in forming vmy package may have a density of about 1.4-20 pounds/ft.:t and a tensile strength up to about 30 p.s.i. When the density is about 1.4-1.5 pounds/ft.3 andithe tensile strength is less than about p.s.i., the foam shall herein be referred to as low density, low tensile strength foam; high density, high tensile strength foam is herein intended to refer to foam having a density of about 3.5- pounds/ft.3 and tensile strength of about 25-30 p.s.i. Foam having density and tensile strength values between the low density, low tensile strength foam and the high density, high tensile strength foam, shall herein be considered as an intermediate foam.

Polyurethane foam having low density, low` tensile strength values offers many signicant advantages over the intermediate foam and the high density, high tensile strength foam, and its use constitutes one ofthe notable feature of my invention. For example, low density, low tensile strength foam is comparatively less expensive to produce, is very light, cures almost instantaneously without any residual surface tack, and has a tensile strength that enables it to be readily ruptured or torn from the container so as to facilitate removal of the packaged article.

High density, high tensile strength polyurethane foam may also be used, Ibut it does not offer the'advantages of the low density, low tensile strength foam. It may be formed so as to have sufficient strength to form a preformed molded cover around the packaged article which may be separated into two or more sections; this facilitates removal of the packaged article. The foam has sufficient strength to withstand handling and, if desired, may be reused.

Polyurethane foam may be produced by reacting an 4 falkyd resin component containing an alkyd resin (e.g., condensation product of polyhydric alcohol and polycarboxylic acid), water, A*catalyst and, preferably, an Vemulsier with a polyisocyanate component. Polyurethane foam may also be produced by reacting an alkyd resin with a suflicient amount of polyisocyanate so as to make a prepolymercontaining unreacted NCO groups; the prepolymer may. then ,be reacted with water or a 'watencatalyst mix to produce a foamed reaction product. llnsoluble, inert additives such as hydrated silica pigment or ferric oxide maybe incorporated into the polymericisocyanate mix in the manner set forth in Freeman .application Ser. No. 540,629, filed October 14, 1955, in order t'o produce polyurethane foams having conitrollable, uniform cell vsizes. The polymeric-isocyanate mix may be admixed in and ejected from a mixing device such as described in Freeman and Frentzel application Ser. No. 585,509, filed May 17, 1956.

The alkyd resin may be the reaction product of a polyhydric alcohol and polybasic acid unmodified or modified with oil and/or other resins, and the like. For example, a suitable alkyd resin may lbe produced by reacting saturated acids such as adipic acid with diethylene glycol and trimethylol ethane. Unsaturated clibasic acids could be wholly or partially substituted for j the saturated acid, but tend to produce a polyurethane :foam that possesses comparatively less durability on aging.

The polymeric material may also contain or consist .of a polyether or a natural polyester such as castor oil. In using the polyether, a prepolymer of the polyether .and isocyanate should be used.

Conventional polyisocyanates which are used in the production of polyurethane foam, such as toluene diisocyanates, may be used.

The activated silica may be added with the polyisocyanate component to the polymeric component so as to delay contacting the activated silica with water until occurrence of the foam-forming reaction. The amount of activated silica that may be incorporated into the polymec-isocyanate mix is generally a matter of choice; however, effective mixing of the polymeric component and polyisocyanate component will not be accomplished when excessive levels of activated silica are used. I have found that excellentfoam could be produced when 25% by weight of the foam was activated silica.

My invention will be further illustrated by the following examples, wherein the composition of suitable polymeric-isocyanate mixes are described.

Y 65.15 parts by weight Chempol FR-1107 (adipic acidldiethylene glycol-trimethylol ethane reaction product produced by Freeman Chemical Corporation, Port Washington, Wisconsin), 1.87 parts by weight of N-methyl Y morpholine, 0.08 part by weight pine oil, 1.52 parts by weight Witco 77-86 (emulsifying agent), 0.42 part by weight Cab-O-Sil (finely divided silica) and 6.46 parts by weight water.

24.50 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate (80% 2,4 isomer, 20% 2,6 isomer) should be added to the polymeric admixture. Foaming proceeds in a few seeonds. The resulting polyurethane foam is a low density, low tensile strength foam.

Example IL A high density, high tensile strength foam may be prepared by mixing 24.95 parts by weight toluene diisocyanate with a polymeric admixture of 71.2 parts by weight Chempol FR-1l07, 0.89 part by weight Pluronic L-61 and 0.35 part by weight Pluronic L-62 (condensates of ethylene oxide with a hydrophobic base formed by condensing propylene oxide with propylene glycol, produced by Wyandotte Chemicals Corp), 2.14 parts by Weight Water, and 0.47 part by weight N-methyl morpholine.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. The method of packaging fragile articles, which comprises: inserting the fragile article to be packaged through a iilling opening into `a protective envelope thereby encapsulating said article, said envelope being positioned inside of a container having an open top in spaced relationship to the closed bottom thereof, said filling opening of the envelope being positioned adjacent said top opening of the container; adding a liquid, foamable, polyurethane reaction mixture which forms solid cellular polyurethane into said container around said encapsulated article; and foaming said liquid reaction mixture upwardly around the encapsulated article to the top of the container thereby embedding said encapsulated article in a solid, readily rupturable, energyabsorbing, cellular polyurethane envelope-cushion Without directly contacting said article, the filling opening of said protective envelope being positioned at the top plane of the rupturable envelope-cushion, said cellular envelope-cushion having a density of not more than about pounds/ ft, a tensile strength of not more than about 30 p.s.i., and being capable of being formed from said liquid reaction mixture at room temperatures and atmospheric pressures.

2. The method of packaging fragile articles, which comprises: inserting the fragile article to be packaged through a filling opening into a protective envelope thereby encapsulating said article, said envelope being positioned inside of a container having an open top in spaced relationship to the closed bottom thereof, said filling opening of the envelope being positioned adjacent said top opening of the container; adding a liquid, foamable, polyurethane reaction mixture which forms solid cellular polyurethane into said container around said encapsulated article; and foaming said liquid reaction mixture upwardly around the encapsulated article to the top of the container thereby embedding said encapsulated article in a solid, readily rupturable, energy-absorbing, cellular polyurethane envelope-cushion without directly contacting said article, said filling opening of said envelope being positioned at the top plane of said envelopecushion so as to be accessible upon opening a top portion of the container, said cellular envelope-cushion having a density of not more than about 3.5 pounds/ft.3, a tensile strength of no-t more than about 30 p.s.i., and being capable of being formed from said liquid reaction mixture at room temperatures and atmospheric pressures.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said liquid reaction mixture has activated silica dispersed therein.

4. The method of packaging fragile articles, which comprises: inserting the fragile article to be packaged through a filling opening into a protective envelope thereby encapsulating said article, said envelope being positioned inside of a container having an open top in spaced relationship to the closed bottom thereof, said filling opening of the envelope being positioned adjacent said top opening of the container; an unoriented interlacement of bers being positioned in said container around said encapsulated article; adding a liquid, foamable, polyurethane reaction mixture which forms solid cellular polyurethane into said container around said encapsulated article; and foaming said liquid reaction mixture upwardly around the encapsulated article to the top of the container thereby embedding said encapsulated article in a solid, readily rupturable, energy-absorbing, cellular polyurethane envelope-cushion without directly contacting said article, said filling opening of said envelope being positioned at the top plane of said envelope-cushion so as to be accessible upon opening a top portion of the container, said cellular sheath having a density of not more than about 3.5 pounds/ f1.3, a tensile Istrength of not more than about 30 p.s.i., and being capable of being formed from said liquid reaction mixture at room temperatures and atmospheric pressures, said fibers being embedded in said envelope-cushion and serving to improve the compression resistance and compression set thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said liquid reaction mixture has activated silica dispersed therein.

6. A rupturable package containing a fragile article, which comprises: a container; a solid readily rupturable energy-absorbing cellular polyurethane envelope-cushion enclosed therein, said envelope-cushion having a density of not more than about 20 lbs/ft.3 and a tensile strength of not more than about 30 p.s.i.; a protective bag embedded within said envelope-cushion and located with its filling opening positioned at the top plane of the rupturable envelope-cushion and adjacent to the top of the container so that upon opening a top portion of the container the iilling opening of the bag is exposed; and an article within said bag.

7. The package of claim 6 wherein the envelopecushion is integral and which includes positioning means for positioning said bag in spaced relationship to said container independent of said cellular polyurethane.

8. The package of claim 6 wherein said solid, cellular polyurethane envelope-cushion has a density of not more than about 3.5 pounds/ft.3 and `a tensile strength of not more than about 30 p.s.i.

9. The package of claim 6 wherein said solid, cellular polyurethane envelope-cushion has a density of not more than about 1.4 pounds/ft.3 and a tensile strength of not more than about 25 p.s.i.

10. The package of claim 6 wherein said solid, cellular polyurethane envelope-cushion has a density of not more than about 1.4 pounds/ft.3 and a tensile strength of not more than about 5 p.s.i.

11. The package of claim 6 wherein said envelopecushion is a water-polyether-polyisocyanate reaction product.

12. The package of claim 6 wherein said envelopecushion is a water-polyester-polyisocyanate reaction product.

13. The package of claim 6 wherein said envelopecushion has an unoriented interlacement of fibers embedded therein.

14. The package of claim 6 wherein said envelopecushion has an unoriented interlacement of fibers embedded therein and activated silica dispersed therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,489,943 Jeffries Apr. 8, 1924 1,988,843 Heldenbrand Jan. 22, 1935 2,638,179 Yard May l2, 1953 2,780,350 Simon et al. Feb. 5, 1957 2,785,739 McGregor et al. Mar. 19, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 732,921 Great Britain June 29, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Packaging, page 51, February 1954. Modern Plastics, pages M16-108, 214-216, November 1954. 

